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Friday, May 29, 2015

This is a continuation from a previous post, wherein I heralded LA's amazing weather and several of the fantastic restaurants that we visited while traveling there. Here, I'll discuss a few more vegan restaurants, and another one of my favorite things about California: The desert...

| The Food |
\\ SunCafe //

Before going on any kind of trip, I always feel compelled to compile a list of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars to use as a reference during our frolic. In California, SunCafe's Studio City location made it onto said list. That's because it’s an entirely organic, vegan restaurant that offers fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, and several raw, and/or gluten-free options (if you’re so inclined).

On our visit we began with the raw Lettuce Leaf Tacos, which consisted of romaine lettuce leaves filled with “sun chorizo,” cashew cheese, and pico de gallo, plus a drizzle of avocado and basil ranch dressing.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

As a New Yorker it’s become apparent that I’m not supposed to fall in love with, or even really like, Los Angeles. Bestowing any type of warmth on LA beyond a stoic eye-roll is tantamount to declaring a fatwa on the crowded, filthy, noisy city that I call home. I mean, there’s a reason why the East Coast/West Coast Biggie/2Pac feud raged so hard during my youth, right? Even Chloe Sevigny agrees.

Nonetheless, at the risk of sounding like I’m betraying The City of Dreams, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and declare that I love Los Angeles. Like, seriously, LOVE it. Not enough to consider leaving NYC, mind you (even after being hit by a car!), but enough to wax poetic about it for at least two very long blog posts…

Friday, May 03, 2013

RESTAURANTS THAT ARE SECRETLY VEGAN (friendly)! Did I just shout that? Oops.

Thing is, living in NYC, I'm often asked for vegan restaurant recommendations, which I'm more than happy to share. (And by "more than happy," I mean "elated.") Sometimes, however, I'm even more excited to suggest places that are secretly vegan.

While I wholeheartedly support entirely veg restaurants (I'm looking at you, Sun in Bloom!), I also think it's important to frequent restaurants that are vegan-friendly. Not only does doing so raise awareness about veganism, but it also encourages restaurant owners to offer their customers even more veg items (we can vote with our dollars, as they say). Another upside is that non-vegans/vegetarians will be exposed to (and possibly consider) meat-free options, simply because their "regular" places offer them.

On that note, I'd like to share one of my favorite secretly vegan places with you: Waffle & Wolf. This little gem is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (AKA the place people visit in order to become hipsters). And it specializes in - you guessed it - waffles!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

I'm not what one might refer to as "pleasant" company when I'm really hungry. Apparently this is an inherited trait.

Honestly, sometimes I get so wrapped up in whatever I'm doing that hours (and hours!) go by before I've eaten a single, solitary thing. Then, suddenly, I'm famished. Like so famished that I start picturing myself in one of those insanely guilt-inducing commercials about starving children in Africa. You know the ones - where those doe-eyed children get like 10 grains of rice a day and have flies buzzing around their heads? Flies!

Not good. Which is why I thought I'd share my go-to solution for situations such as these, as a Public Service Announcement of sorts. Ironically, the recipe involves rice. It also involves canned beans, avocado, lime, and scallions. What could be simpler?

Hopefully this will carry you straight past that dreaded hungry-angry phase with minimal effort. And, if you're the kind of person whose temper isn't connected to his/her stomach, well...

Thursday, February 14, 2013

You see, I recently declared my borderline obsession with kale, which means I'm probably crossing the line by revisiting the topic again so soon. (Also, who am I to force yet another 'effin kale salad upon the internet?)

Furthermore, publishing a "recipe" for something void of any actual measurements makes me feel like I'm copping out somehow. (I mean, what makes a recipe a recipe? Are ingredient amounts clearly one of those non-negotiable prerequisites? Is "to taste" an antiquated term? Does Ryan Gosling even bother reading recipes this simple?)

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I've longed to visit Farm Sanctuary since I first read about it six or seven years ago. The amazing part was discovering that a place like Farm Sanctuary - where rescued farm animals would be treated with the kindness and compassion they were completely denied their entire lives - even existed. The not-so-amazing part was that the nearest Farm Sanctuary was 700 miles away from where I lived at the time.

So, when we made the move to NYC a little over a year ago, visiting Farm Sanctuary quickly shot to the top of my priorities list. And, I'm happy to say, CH and I took a road trip to the inspiring Watkins Glen, NY farm just a week ago.

Monday, October 29, 2012

There's a distinct possibility that I'm sitting on my kitchen floor, eating these pumpkin muffins in the dark right now, seeking cover from the "Frankenstorm" that's likely to hit NYC. If so, thank heavens for auto-posting, otherwise I might not have been able to hold up my end of the MoFo bargain. My fingers are crossed that that's not the case, but if so, let's just say these muffins are so amazing, they'll even get you through a hurricane.

Oh, pumpkin! Why must you entice me so?

I mean, I know it's that time of year and everything, but seriously - pumpkin's in the air, and in our food, in a major way right now. According to New York Magazine (my source for all important information), pumpkin drink offerings, alone, have increased 400% during the past 5 years. Talk about an upswing!

The odd part is, many of the so-called "pumpkin" items on offer at restaurants and in coffee shops don't even contain actual pumpkin. The secret of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte, for example, is that it's "just a latte spruced up with pumpkin-flavored syrup - connoisseurs cite cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove" as integral flavors, per NY Mag.

Friday, October 26, 2012

These days, you can find kale salads in restaurants all over the country, kale in juices at gas stations/convenience stores, and even kale chips on the store shelves of non-health food stores (see: Trader Joe's).

In fact, it has become so popular - so ubiquitous - that I'd be surprised if a backlash weren't a' brewing. Soon enough, poor kale will be languishing on the "Not List," having been upstaged by some other food that vegans have been obsessing over for ages...

Regardless, its myriad health benefits (and fantastic, though some would call "acquired," taste) always keep me coming back for more.